Engine emissions and fuel consumption may be reduced by automatically stopping an engine of a vehicle without a human driver providing input to a device that has a sole purpose or function of stopping engine rotation. The engine may be automatically stopped for as long of a period as driver demand torque is low; however, the engine may be automatically restarted if battery state of charge is low so that there is sufficient electrical energy to restart the engine. Nevertheless, an automatically stopped engine may not be restarted and electrical power may not be supplied to electrical power consumers if the human driver leaves the vehicle's passenger cabin. The engine may remain stopped and electrical power consumers may be deactivated after the human driver exits the vehicle so that the vehicle may have sufficient electrical energy to restart the engine at a later time. Further, deactivating the engine ensures that a third party may not drive off in the vehicle without the human driver's permission. A vehicle that operates in this way may be desirable to ensure engine restarting and prevention of unauthorized vehicle operation, but it also prevents vehicle systems from updating when the human driver leaves the vehicle. In addition, other vehicle occupants may not have the benefit of using the vehicle electrical energy consumers when the human driver leaves the vehicle.
The inventors herein have recognized the above-mentioned disadvantages and have developed a method for operating an engine, comprising: automatically stopping an engine via a controller; and via the controller, sending a notification to a human driver of a vehicle while the engine is automatically stopped that one or more electric power consumers coupled to a vehicle will be deactivated in a predetermined amount of time unless the human driver performs an engine reactivation procedure at the vehicle, the human driver not occupying the vehicle.
The vehicle's electrical energy consumers may remain active after the vehicle's engine has been automatically stopped and the vehicle's human driver has left the vehicle passenger cabin via notifying a human driver that one or more vehicle electric power consumers will be deactivated in a predetermined amount of time. Further, the engine may not be automatically restarted by a third party simply entering the vehicle because verification of an operator's identity may be required before the engine may be automatically restarted. Thus, it may be possible to provide the technical result of allowing vehicle systems to remain online and operational without a third party being able to drive off in the vehicle by simply entering the vehicle and engaging the transmission. In this way, it may be possible to allow electrical systems to remain updated and vehicle passengers to be entertained after a human driver has exited a vehicle having an engine that has been automatically stopped.
The present description may provide several advantages. Specifically, the approach may reduce engine fuel consumption by allowing an engine to remain in an off state for a longer period of time. Further, the approach may allow vehicle electrical power consuming systems to remain in an updated state after a driver exits a vehicle. Further still, the approach may help to ensure that a vehicle has sufficient electrical energy to restart an engine after the engine has been automatically stopped.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.